Tag Archives: Australian Author

Recent Reads

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Sharing the love of reading!

Looking for your next read? You might like to consider exploring some of my most recent reads.

Happy Reading.

Jody

Share your love of books!

The mysterious bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods

I found ‘The mysterious bakery on Rue de Paris’ to be the perfect mix of modern day, mystery and charming! Guaranteed magical read that will keep you fully absorb you and warm your heart.

I simultaneously read & listened to ‘The mysterious bakery on Rue de Paris. The elements of the French language throughout the book were essentially enhanced by listening to the audio edition.  

About the book

Nestled among the cobblestone streets of Compiègne, there existed a bakery unlike any other.

Rumours were whispered through the town that its pastries offered a taste of magic, chasing away the darkest of sorrows. Just one bite of a croissant might bring luck, unlock a precious memory or reveal hidden longings.

But dark clouds were looming on the horizon…

For Edie Lane, a recipe for disaster doesn’t require that many ingredients. Take an unhealthy amount of wishful thinking and a sprinkle of desperation and that’s how Edie left everything behind in Ireland for her dream job at a bakery in Paris. Except the bakery isn’t in Paris – and neither is Edie.

This might not be where Edie intended to be, but she soon realizes it’s exactly where she needs to be…

The fallen women by Fiona McIntosh

A totally absorbing historical fiction with a strong female focus. Full of family dynamics and social ideals of the time. Fiona McIntosh is certainly becoming another author I can always count for an enjoyable read when I find myself in a reading funk.

About the book

Botanical artist Jane Saville is devastated when her manipulative mother banishes her to the countryside to protect someone else’s honour. Isolated far from home, she is forced to live an impoverished, secretive life to save the family from public shame.

Guy Attwood is heir to a fortune but prefers his quiet passion for rare-apple hunting on behalf of Royal Kew Gardens to building the family’s business empire. He sets out to find a critically endangered apple species that he dreams of gifting and re-naming for his friend, the soon-to-be coronated George V.

When the paths of these people from two very different worlds collide, Jane begins to hope for a different future, but their new friendship is shattered by jealousy, misunderstanding, duty and treachery. A young boy will inspire Jane to defy the powers working against her and prove she is no woman to be outcast.

Set in the picturesque English countryside, in a forgotten orchard and beneath the ancient spire of Salisbury Cathedral, this is a heart-wrenching story about a woman who finds that in her darkest hour she can harness her greatest strength.

When she was gone by Sara Foster

Sara Foster can do no wrong in my eyes; I have read every one of her books and have absolutely loved all of them. I loved ‘When she was gone’, and it wasn’t the suspense of finding out ‘who did it’ that kept me glued to the pages, it was the way Sara Foster builds a connection with characters, so you become invested in their story and the outcome. This is what I love about Sara Fosters books. If you enjoy a good thriller or domestic thriller/mystery, then please explore Sara Fosters books if you have not already.

About the book

Was she taken … or did she run? The pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of You Don’t Know Me

Rose was torn away from her daughter. Now, is she the only one who can save her?

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote Western Australian beach, and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care, Rose is asked to help bring Lou home. The police think Rose’s insights will lead them to Lou, but they don’t realise that Rose hardly knows her daughter anymore.

This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood’s illustrious career, and there’s a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and as their multimillionaire grandfather breathes down Blackwood’s neck for results, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn’t know who he can trust.

Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter’s innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she’s no longer part of Lou’s life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers’ secrets, the investigation takes a much darker turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers and Rose, and soon it’s clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?

Happy Reading!

Jody

Best Wishes by Richard Glover

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When I purchased my copy of Richard Glover’s latest book Best Wishes, I set myself up in my favourite chair on the decking and didn’t really move again until I was finished the whole book.

Best Wishes was an enjoyable, relatable, laugh out loud read. Filled with Richard Glover’s usual wit, sass, and humour. I found myself wishing (excuse the pun) for another few hundred wishes. Somehow, 365 didn’t feel like nearly enough.

If you are looking for the perfect book to lose yourself in on a sunny Saturday morning in your favourite spot, then Best Wishes is that book. I guarantee you will feel a warm glow inside when you have finished.

Should you enjoy Best Wishes as much as I did, do yourself a favour and listen to the eAudiobook version; narrated by Richard Glover himself, it is brilliant! I read the book and listened to eAudiobook.

Listen to this book online [Borrow Box]

If you enjoy Richard Glover’s books as much as I do then why not pop along to his Author Talk on Saturday 18th November 2023 at Parramatta Library at PHIVE.

Happy reading everyone, I hope you all enjoy Best Wishes as much as I did.

Jody

Book Club Book Reviews June 2023

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The Liars by Petronella McGovern

Summary

A wife burning with resentment. A husband hiding the past. Their teenage daughter crusading for the truth. Who can we trust?

The close-knit community of Kinton Bay is shocked when fifteen-year-old Siena Britton makes a grisly discovery near a cave in the national park. Siena believes it’s a skull from the town’s violent colonial past and posts a video which hits the news headlines.

But her parents, Meri and Rollo, think the skull is related to their teenage parties in the Killing Cave back in the 1990s. And a school mate who went missing then.

None of them foresees the dangers that the discovery will create for their family. The dangers of past deceits, silences and lies that have never been resolved.

Comments

Set in a small country town on the coast of New South Wales after Covid 19, this is a story which revolves around the cases of three missing people from the 1990s.

When a skull is discovered, lives and lies begin to unravel; and events spiral out of control, especially in the Britton family around whom the story is focussed. This small community has been keeping secrets for many years and some in the community are haunted by their memories.

Only a few of our group read the whole story, having found the beginning very uninspiring. It was easy to read but ‘ordinary’ and ‘underwhelming’ was the group verdict; we felt that it would be better suited as a young adult read.

4/10 Read by Dundas Readers

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Summary

Welcome to Bascom, North Carolina, where it seems that everyone has a story to tell about the Waverley women. The house that’s been in the family for generations, the walled garden that mysteriously blooms year round, the rumours of dangerous loves and tragic passions.

Every Waverley woman is somehow touched by magic. Claire has always clung to the Waverleys’ roots,  tending the enchanted soil in the family garden from which she makes her sought-after delicacies – famed and feared for their curious effects. She has everything she thinks she needs – until one day she waked to find a stranger has moved in next door and a vine of ivy has crept into her garden…

Claire’s carefully tended life is about to run gloriously out of control.

Comments

Our group quite enjoyed this easy to read, fanciful story of a family of women with ‘magical’ gifts and an enchanted, backyard apple tree. It did remind us of a Hallmark movie and could imagine it also as a miniseries, even perhaps more suited to the young adult genre. There were some aspects of realism and conflict. We enjoyed the references to the language of flowers, the positivity of the environment as a healer and the hope and support that the women provided each other. The character of Evanelle was our favourite. She was eccentric, loving, somewhat ageless but a wise elder. The ending was predictable but satisfying.

Read by MJ Readers

In Conversation with Monica McInerney

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Public Libraries NSW and City of Parramatta Libraries presents Monique Akauola from Sutherland Libraries, chatting with bestselling Australian author Monica McInerney as she talks about her new family drama ‘The Godmothers’.

‘I don’t want two wishy-washy godmothers,’ Jeannie had said that afternoon in the country hospital when Eliza was only a day old. ‘No dolls. No pink dresses. Just lots of adventures. Lots of spoiling. The pair of you like two mighty warriors protecting her at every step.’

Eliza Miller grew up in Australia as the only daughter of a troubled young mother, but with the constant support of two watchful godmothers, Olivia and Maxie. Despite her tricky childhood, she always felt loved and secure. Until, just before her eighteenth birthday, a tragic event changed her life.

Thirteen years on, Eliza is deliberately living as safely as possible, avoiding close relationships and devoting herself to her job. Out of the blue, an enticing invitation from one of her godmothers prompts a leap into the unknown.

Within a fortnight, Eliza finds herself in the middle of a complicated family in Edinburgh. There’s no such thing as an ordinary day any more. Yet, amidst the chaos, Eliza begins to blossom. She finds herself not only hopeful about the future, but ready to explore her past, including the biggest mystery of all – who is her father?

Set in Australia, Scotland, Ireland and England, The Godmothers is a great big hug of a book that will fill your heart to bursting. It is a moving and perceptive story about love, lies, hope and sorrow, about the families we are born into and the families we make for ourselves.

This FREE online author talk will be presented via Zoom with a Q & A session at the end.
Book now or click on the image above.
This event is a collaboration between multiple NSW Public Libraries’ and in association with Penguin Books Australia.
Copies of the book can be purchased online from Booktopia or from your local bookshop.

Losing Kate

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losing-kate

Losing Kate by Kylie Kaden

Summary

This mesmerising debut is part love story, part mystery, telling the captivating story of two lovers torn apart by tragedy and the secrets they kept of one devastating night.

I’m the most authentic version of myself when I’m around Jack. We’ve known each other since we were kids, and our relationship was always one of mudpies and mocking.

Then everything changed.

Beautiful Kate, my best friend, disappeared on a moonlit beach after Jack dumped her for me. Jack was a suspect and, sure of his innocence, I lied to protect him. I know Jack didn’t kill her. Our betrayal did.

Thirteen years later, I am thirty, childless and single, attempting to renovate my life rescuing a rundown worker’s cottage. All is as it should be in my safe little world – until Jack buys the vacant lot behind my house… and the feelings that we buried all those years ago – the guilt, the love and the pain – resurface.

We can’t keep running away from the past – and to move forward we have to know what really happened to Kate.

Comments

What a FANTASTIC book! I can’t believe it is a debut novel.

I couldn’t stop reading it and finished it in one sitting.

The author very skillfully switches between past and present, pulling you from one time to the other at just the right moment.

This book has everything a great book should have; interesting plot, great characters, romance, mystery and family ties.

A MUST read.

Another great addition to enjoyable Aussie Fiction.

Read by

Jody

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